Jasper Hale

Jasper Hale (born Jasper Whitlock) is a fictional character from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.

Personal History

Jasper Hale, formally known as Jasper Whitlock, was born in 1843 and grew up in Houston, Texas. In 1861 when he was almost seventeen, he lied about his age, stating he was 20, and joined the Confederate States Army to serve in the Civil War. Due to his intense charisma, he quickly rose through the ranks, and became the youngest Major in the Confederate Army.

Jasper was turned into a vampire in 1863 by a vampire named Maria, when he was 20 years old. Maria was fighting a territorial war for claim on big cities in the south, such as Mexico City. Maria recognized that Jasper he was high-ranking in the army, and therefore already had some knowledge of combat skills. She wanted a strong male vampire who could fight alongside her. When Maria found out about his peculiar ability to control the emotions of those around him, she found him even more useful.

Jasper's responsibility was to train the young vampires and then kill them when they were no longer useful to Maria, usually after about a year when their strength had begun to fade. After about a century of this, he grew wary of the lifestyle. An old vampire colleague of his, named Peter, persuaded him to escape from Maria. For a time, he wandered with Peter and his companion, Charlotte, but soon came to feel remorse for his prey because he lived their emotions as he took their lives. As a result, he ran away and wandered on his own until he found Alice Cullen, who he later recognized as his true love, waiting for him in a half-empty diner in Philadelphia. She had seen through her prescience they would find the Cullens and live there together in relative peace.

The Cullens tell humans that Jasper is Rosalie's twin brother; for this purpose, they both use Rosalie's surname of "Hale". Out of the whole coven, Jasper has the hardest time being around humans, due to his untrained upbringing as a young vampire in an army environment. He was not taught control or how to regulate his blood lust. Edward states that all human blood is equally tempting to Jasper, unlike the rest of the family, who can notice the variations in blood scent in different humans.

Appearance

Jasper is 6'3" and has golden honey blond hair. He is muscular but lean. Like the other Cullens, he has pale, marble-like skin and bruise-like purple shadows under his eyes,which appear gradually as his thirst increases. He has golden eyes, like all animal-feeding ("vegetarian") vampires, which turn darker, eventually becoming black, as he grows thirstier. He has many crescent-shaped scars on his arms from the bites of vampires he fought on Maria's behalf. The white scars are invisible unless contrasted by a strong light, and then only because they are slightly raised against his skin and cast a shadow.

Romantic Relationships

Alice Cullen

Jasper first met Alice after escaping the vampire wars he had been involved in. Alice was sitting on a stool in a diner in Philadelphia waiting for him, having used her ability to see into the future to foresee that they would meet there. Jasper, a little taken aback by her knowing him, apologized sheepishly to her when she teased him about how long she had been waiting for him. Alice offered him her hand in a silent request to leave the diner and start a new life together. Jasper, as quoted from Eclipse, "For the first time in almost a century...felt hope" at this gesture, and accepted her hand They fell in love and eventually found the Cullen family together. They have been a part of the Cullen family ever since.

It is stated throughout the Twilight series that Alice and Jasper have a special, somewhat private relationship. Their distinctly understanding love is what separates them from the other couples in the Cullen family. They aren't as flamboyant about their relationship as Rosalie and Emmett are. The two are very committed and protective of each other, and have been married legally.

Vampire Abilities

Some vampires have extra abilities beyond the norm which are an amplification of an ability they had as a human (e.g. an intuitive mind could be able to read minds as a vampire). Because he was charismatic as a human, Jasper can feel and manipulate the emotions of others. Like other vampires in the Twilight series, he also has super strength and speed, granite hard skin, immortality, and a keen sense of smell and hearing. In Eclipse, during the training Jasper gives the Cullens and Quileutes, it is noted that Jasper was on par with Edward's skills despite Edward's mind reading ability. This is seen during their sparring, which only stopped when Carlisle told them to, suggesting that it could have continued perhaps indefinitely.

Personality

Jasper could be mistaken for cold because of his highly analytical and military mindset. However, his relationship with Alice displays his warmer side. The fact that he suffered depression after his years in Maria's service suggests a strong sense of conscience and grief over his perceived wrong-doings. When he was human he was described as being extremely charismatic, and therefore very likable. He has also been shown to be a strong and forceful leader through his rapid ascent through the ranks of the Confederate Army. The fact that he is always a soothing presence shows that he wishes others to feel well and at ease, and will do his best to make that occur. Jasper is highly intuitive but also never takes advantage of his miraculous gift, showing that he is not malicious and chooses not to manipulate others. While the Cullens are gone in New Moon, Jasper studies philosophy at Cornell University. In the opening chapter of the yet to be published Midnight Sun, Jasper is shown as being deeply ashamed of his urge to drain the life from the humans around him. It also shows that he has what could be described as a lower thirst threshold, in that he has trouble controlling his thirst sooner after feeding than the other Cullens.

Movie Portrayal

On February 15, 2008 it was announced that Jackson Rathbone will be playing the role of Jasper Hale in the upcoming Twilight film.

External links

• Stephenie Meyer's Official Website
• Twilight Lexicon
• Twilight Series, the books' official website